Operation Wetback

Operation Wetback was an immigration enforcement effort originated to ensure jobs for American military personnel returning from service during World War II and the Korean War.

"In 1954, PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower appointed retired Gen. Joseph "Jumpin' Joe" Swing, a former West Point classmate and veteran of the 101st Airborne, as the new INS commissioner."[1] And for the next 2 years, illegal aliens were caught and sent back to Mexico, freeing up jobs for American citizens.

"Patrol veterans say enforcement could also be aided by a legalized guest-worker program that permits Mexicans to register in their country for temporary jobs in the US. Eisenhower's team ran such a program. It permitted up to 400,000 Mexicans a year to enter the US for various agriculture jobs that lasted for 12 to 52 weeks."[1]